Schizophrenic Earwig Men

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

hey hey hey everyone we're updating this blog again!Wait.Wait, you say. But I Just UPDATED the blog the other day.well folks today is your lucky day. Or maybe its not. Possibly you could go home and get run over by a train. But at least you get to read my blog.Today's Blog Topic Is: A herring!No, I was kidding. Actually I am going to reveal to you, my readers, the band with the greatest song titles ever. Minus the Bear.Here are some of the many great song titles by Minus The Bear:I'm Totally Not Down With Rob's AlienHey! Is That A Ninja Up There?Let's Play ClownsDog ParkPony Up!Fine + 2 Pts.Hey, Wanna Throw Up? Get Me Naked!Lemurs, Man, LemursJust Kickin' It Like A Wild DonkeyPotato Juice and Liquid BreadPantsuit...UggghhhSpritz! Spritz!Women We Haven't Met YetI Lost All My Money At The Cock FightsThanks For The Killer Game Of Crisco TwisterMonkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!Absinthe Party At The Fly Honey WarehouseGet Me Naked 2: Electric BoogalooWe Are Not The Football TeamYou Kill Bugs Good, ManDamn Bugs Whacked Him, JohnnyLet's Play Guitar In A Five-Guitar BandBooyah AchievedThe Pig WarThis Ain't A Surfin' MovieAnd Finally:You're Like Some Sort Of Big, Fat, Smart-Bug, Aren't You?Unfortunately, I have listened to some Minus The Bear and it was disappointing. Still worth a shot, though.also the white sox won again yesterday so it looks like they'll be winning the world series. huzzah.

Monday, October 24, 2005

So. It's time to update the ol' Schizophrenic Earwig Men. Heh. This purple font rules.The World Series appears to be in the hands of the Chicago White Sox, who lead the Astros 2-0 behind their timely hitting and reliable pitching. Personally, I think Bobby Jenks is basically the coolest person ever. Despite nearly blowing Game 2, Jenks is still ridiculously cool and throws really hard and is just generally awesome.Today's topic is the MVP race for the AL and NL.American League:David Ortiz, Boston, DH, .300, 47, 148, 1001 OPS, 32 Win SharesWhy he could win: Ortiz led the majors in RBI, a typically overrated statistic in consideration of MVP voting. He also was a leader on a playoff team, and finished second in the AL in home runs, and third in OPS.Why he won't: The Red Sox faltered in the playoffs, and Ortiz, as a DH, makes only a one-dimensional contribution to the team. Plus, A-Rod had an even better season.Manny Ramirez, Boston, LF, .292, 45, 144, 982 OPS, 34 WSWhy he could win: Obviously great stats, and played for a great team.Why he won't: Manny is an awful defensive player, and A-Rod was too good.Mark Teixeira, Texas, 1B, .301, 43, 144, 954 OPS, 32 WSWhy he could win: 300 30 100, a young star.Why he won't: Texas didn't have a good enough season, and his OPS was not among the leaders.Michael Young, Texas, SS, .331, 24, 91, 899 OPS, 27 WSWhy he could win: He led the AL in batting average, and he plays shortstop.Why he won't: He's not actually that good, compared to the competition.Gary Sheffield, Yankees, RF, .291, 34, 123, 891 OPS, 33 WSWhy he could win: Lots of Win Shares, playing for the YankeesWhy he won't: Low OPS, not a great average, and being worse than A-Rod.Alex Rodriguez, Yankees, 3B, . 321, 48, 130, 1031 OPS, 37 WSWhy he could lose: The Yankees also faltered in the playoffs, and...that's it.Why he will win: Best OPS, HR and WS in the AL, good defensive third baseman, he's simply the best.National League:Andruw Jones, Atlanta, CF, .263, 51, 128, 922 OPS, 23 WSWhy he could win: He led the league in HR, and took an injury-riddled young team to the playoffs. Plus, he's arguably the greatest defensive center fielder ever.Why he won't: He wasn't actually that good besides the home runs; his OPS is nothing special, and he had a subpar year in the field.Brian Giles, LF, San Diego, .301, 15, 83, 906 OPS, 35 WSWhy he could win: He is incredibly underrated. Pitcher's park, great OBP, a ton of Win Shares.Why he won't: Few people realize this, especially the MVP voters.Derrek Lee, 1B, Chicago, .335, 46, 107, 1080 OPS, 37 WSWhy he could win: Triple Crown chaser much of the year, career year, league leader in OPSWhy he won't: He slumped a bit second half, the Cubs missed the playoffs, and his RBI are very low for a player with his stats.Jason Bay, OF, Pittsburgh, .306, 32, 101, 961 OPS, 34 WSWhy he could win: He's cool, he's young, he plays in a pitcher's park, he has a lot of Win Shares.Why he won't: Sucky team, and not good enough stats.Morgan Ensberg, 3B, Houston, .283, 36, 101, 945 OPS, 29 WSWhy he could win: Offensive leader of the NL representative in the World SeriesWhy he won't: Not good enough stats.Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis, .330, 41, 117, 1039 OPS, 38 WSWhy he could lose: St. Louis was rather disappointing in the playoffs, and Pujols always seems to get snubbed. Plus he didn't lead the league in any of the Triple Crown categories.Why he will win: Pujols is due for an MVP. His OPS was second in the majors, his WS were first, and he led his team to the division title. He's simply the best player in the majors.

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Hey Hey Hey folks, it's been a pretty darn long time since the last update of this blog. So, to quench the thirst of my readers, who were about to lynch me for not updating sooner (cough cough mr. montas cough cough), I'm right about to update this ol' piece of writing once again.Today's edition of Schizophrenic Earwig Men is a super-dee-duper DELUXE version comprising two topics, and therefore (cough cough mr. montas cough cough) should be considered as though it were two different entries. So, without further ado, the new stuff.First on the agenda is the current baseball playoff situation. In the American League, the Boston Red Sox are playing the Chicago White Sox while the New York Yankees play the Los Angeles Angels, and in the National League, the matchups are the Atlanta Braves versus the Houston Astros and the San Diego Padres versus the St. Louis Cardinals.Boston vs. Chicago: As of today, the resurgent White Sox have a 2-0 lead over the Red Sox. Notwithstanding Boston's remarkable comeback from down 3 games to none last year in the ALCS against the Yankees, the White Sox will win the Battle of the Sock Drawer because they have the momentum, and because they have better pitching. The Red Sox's game 3 starter, Tim Wakefield, has struggled recently, especially against the Yankees in the final series of the regular season, and Boston's big bats have thus far been silenced by the White Sox, while the White Sox have put up an alarming 19 runs in 2 games. White Sox in 3.New York vs. Los Angeles: This series currently stands at 1-1, heading to New York for games 3 and 4. As much as I hate the Yankees, I have to expect them to win. Derek Jeter simply finds ways to win in the playoffs, and the fact is that the Yankees have more playoff experience, and will find a way to win. Randy Johnson starts game 3, and I can't see the Yankees losing two out of three here. Yankees in 5.Atlanta vs. Houston: Houston leads this series 1-0, pending tonight's game at 8. Houston faltered a bit at the end of the season, barely winning the wild card over the Phillies. That notwithstanding, pitching wins in a short series, and that is why Houston will pull out the series over the Braves. Roger Clemens starts tonight (another of my least favorite players), but he has been close to unhittable this year. Astros in 4.San Diego vs. St. Louis: St. Louis leads this series 1-0, and will win all three games easily. San Diego barely finished above .500, finishing behind nearly every NL East team, and is no match for the high-powered, good-pitching Cardinals. Albert Pujols, who is having the best career ever for his age, will ensure that the Padres go down without much of a fight. Cardinals in 3.ALCS: Chicago vs. Yankees. I predict that the White Sox and Yankees will face off in the ALCS. The White Sox, coming off a sweep of the Indians and a possible sweep of the Red Sox, will be riding high on momentum, and the Yankees' pitching is simply not enough to hold up. It's always dangerous to pick against the Yankees, and they could certainly pull it out, but I like the White Sox, especially if they sweep Boston and have won 6 in a row. White Sox in 6.NLCS: Houston vs. St. Louis: St. Louis won the division over Houston, and they will win the NLCS as well. While Houston has three dominant starters, St. Louis also has good pitching, and their batting is much better than the Astros. Houston hasn't done well against St. Louis, they never manage to win the division, and Bagwell, Biggio, and Berkman have a history of fading in the playoffs. St. Louis in 6.World Series: St. Louis vs. Chicago. The teams that jumped out early and stayed at the top of their divisions all year meet in the World Series. St. Louis is due for a Series win, after being embarrassed last season, and Chicago did falter in the latter half of the year. St. Louis' batting and pitching combination is too strong. St. Louis in 6.Second Topic: Don't Say Anything, but listen to this bandCourtesy of my blogmate Rob Frenay (geek-out, see my links), I have now acquired a cd by the band Say Anything, which I highly recommend. Say Anything's eclectic sound, with a clever, irreverant punkiness, is unique, funny, and fun to listen to. In fact, on an allmusic.com search, Say Anything had no smiilar artists, but Rob's dad, the "light pop songwriter" Gary Frenay, did. Say Anything's lead singer's voice is especially unique. My favorite track, The Writhing South, has a hard-driving but infectiously catchy chorus, as well as a bit of fun yelling. Alive With The Glory Of Love, a love story set during the Holocaust, is touching and mournful, without losing its edge and punky guitar. The album I have, ...Is A Real Boy, is chock full of good songs, and their other albums are good as well.Songs By Say Anything You Should Acquire:1. Alive With The Glory Of Love2. Woe3. The Writhing South4. Yellow Cat/ Red Cat5. BeltAnd finally, a song that is so indescribably awesome that my humble opinion hardly does it justice, I'm A Gangster, by Josh Tobin. Josh's incredibly stupid rhymes, simplistic beat that he can't stay on, indictment of his own white race, professed love of imprisonment, and Gandhi-voiced gangsters brought me to laughing tears. Get this song, by any means necessary.This just in: The Killers have plans for a follow-up album to their hit, Hot Fuss. They already have 12 songs written, including one that is to be a sequel to their hit (one of my favorites) All These Things That I've Done.Until next time, stay classy and go _ yourself, San Diego.